Silver mine shaft at Sala Silvergruva bearing Sweden's oldest surviving headframe, now open to visitors after recent restoration.
Carl XI:s schakt is one of the principal shafts at Sala Silvergruva, a silver, lead, and zinc mine in Sala, Västmanland, in continuous operation from the late fifteenth century to 1908, with a further period of working between the Second World War and 1962. Sinking of the shaft began in 1670 but was interrupted after three years. The shaft was deepened progressively through the nineteenth century, eventually reaching 318.6 metres — the greatest depth in the mine.
The cylindrical headframe building known as Carl XI:s lave, raised over the shaft in 1835 to a design by Bergshauptman Jacob Henrik af Forselles, is regarded as the oldest surviving mine headframe in Sweden. A steam-engine house was built alongside the shaft in 1891 to drive the winding gear. The mine complex is today a heritage visitor site and part of Ekomuseum Bergslagen.
Carl XI:s lave was the subject of a major restoration project completed around 2025, after which it was reopened to the public.
The workings at Sala are among the most historically significant in Sweden. Silver production, alongside lead and zinc extracted from sulphide ores, is documented from at least the late fifteenth century; Gustav Vasa called the mine the "treasury of the Swedish realm" during the peak output of the 1530s and 1540s, when the site was producing in the region of three to five tonnes of refined silver annually. The mine came under full Crown control by the mid-sixteenth century, and the broader site was developed around the royal administration of the ore.
Drottning Christinas schakt, begun in 1650, became by the late seventeenth century the deepest mine shaft in the world and remains the largest shaft created by the fire-setting technique of tillmakning. Carl XI:s schakt, named for the Carolingian king, was begun in 1670 and initial sinking was abandoned after three years. By the time of Gustav Bergström's 1799 mine map, the shaft had reached approximately 110 metres. During the nineteenth century, under Bergshauptman Jacob Henrik af Forselles — appointed in 1817 and active until his death in 1855 — the shaft was systematically deepened. Under his direction the programme of expansion included continued sinking of Carl XI:s schakt alongside Drottning Christinas schakt, the construction of the Sala canal linking the mine to the town, and improvements to ore dressing. The shaft was ultimately sunk to a final depth of 318.6 metres, making it the deepest shaft in the mine. The cylindrical headframe building raised above the shaft in 1835, designed by af Forselles, is recognised as the oldest surviving mine headframe in Sweden. The adjacent spelhus (winding house), bearing the royal seal on its wall, also dates from this period.
In 1887 the state relinquished its interests in Sala silvergruva to Sala Bergslag, which sold the mine the following year to the brothers Heberle, who formed Sala Silfververks AB. In 1890 the first steam engine for ore hoisting was installed in a purpose-built engine house immediately adjacent to Carl XI:s schakt; by 1891 the Ångmaskinhuset had been fitted with two steam engines of 96 horsepower, which drove the winding gear at Carl XI schakt and were also used to power a rope haulage for ore transport over 250 metres to Christinaschaktets lave, and to drive the winding gear at Knektschaktet via line shafting. When the mine ceased production in 1908, the steam engines were removed and sold. Mining recommenced in the 1940s and an electrically powered winding engine was installed in the Ångmaskinhuset; from 1948 the building was adapted to other uses.
The final active part of the mine, the Bronäsgruvan section, closed in 1962. The surface complex at Sala Silvergruva has since been preserved as a heritage site comprising approximately fifty surviving buildings and structures, with some twenty kilometres of underground workings accessible for guided tours. Carl XI:s lave remained among the most prominent structures in the complex. In recent years a restoration project renewed the lave and the adjacent smedja (smithy), repairing the roof, treating the old beams, rendering the façade, and repainting the structure. The restored lave was opened to the public around 2025. The mine complex forms part of Ekomuseum Bergslagen.